Description

Star Wars Tales #18                                  Variant Comic
Editors: Katie Moody, Dave Land, Jeremy Barlow & Philip W. Simon
Cover by: Movie Photo

A long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away…

Star Wars is an American epic space opera franchise centered on a film series created by George Lucas. The film series began with Star Wars, released on May 25, 1977. This was followed by two sequels: The Empire Strikes Back, released on May 21, 1980, and Return of the Jedi, released on May 25, 1983. Then more than two decades after the release of the original film, the series continued with a prequel trilogy; consisting of Episode I: The Phantom Menace, released on May 19, 1999; Episode II: Attack of the Clones, released on May 16, 2002; Episode III: Revenge of the Sith, released on May 19, 2005; and  finally the epic saga concluded with Star Wars: The Force Awakens released on December 18, 2015; Star Wars: The Last Jedi was released on December 18, 2017. And Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker was released on December 20, 2019.

Star Wars Tales is an anthology comic book series published by Dark Horse Comics, beginning on September 29, 1999, and completing its run on July 13, 2005. Each issue is 64 pages and features a few unrelated stories from various eras of the Star Wars timeline. Stories from issues #1–20 were retroactively labelled “Infinities”, placing them outside the Star Wars canon, while those of issues #21–24 were considered to be within continuity, unless labelled otherwise. References to the stories were made within the Expanded Universe, the entirety of which was deemed non-canon by Lucasfilm in 2014.

And now, Dark Horse Presents “Star Wars Tales #18”. Throughout the galaxy there is one name that can send a chill through the core of any wanted man. That word is Fett. Now featuring a full-issue tribute to the most feared and respected bounty hunter of all time – Boba Fett. From stories of Boba’s exciting childhood with his father Jango, through tales of him tracking down and bringing in wanted men, Star Wars Tales #18 is a thrill-a-minute, action-packed issue!

Star Wars Tales #18 contains these stories:

“Number Two in the Galaxy”   10 pages
Writer: Henry Gilroy
Artist: Todd Demong
Colorist: Jim Campbell
Letterer: Steve Dutro

Boba Fett comes to get his armor repaired on the remote planet of Ma’ar Shaddam. While he is not wearing it, a group of bounty hunters attempt to kill him. Dressed only in a robe, he tricks some of the hunters into killing each other. He kills another barehanded and steals the dead being’s blade. The ringleader of the hunters steals Fett’s Mandalorian armor and Slave I. Using the ship’s cannons, he blasts the facility that Fett is in. Believing he killed Fett, he goes to a nearby cantina, impersonating him. Fett comes in wearing Jango’s old armor and takes his armor back, but leaves the impersonator alive to remember who is number one.
——————————————————————————–

“Payback”   8 pages
Writer: Andy Diggle
Artist: Henry Flint
Colorist: Chris Blythe
Letterer: Steve Dutro

Boba Fett takes a job from Drex, a crime lord operating in the Gallapraxis system. It is his job to acquire Feleen Bantillian, dead or alive, for the fee of 50,000 credits. Drex tells him that Bantillian had killed his son. Fett tracks him to an abandoned droid plant on Vornax, and gives him a chance to surrender. Bantillian tells Fett that he is Drex’s son, and that Fett killed his brother. Drex set up Fett. Fett fires at Bantillian, who blocks the blast with an old droideka shield. Bantillian closes the roof of the area they are in. Dozens of old droids stagger towards Fett, trying to kill him. A war droid shoots him out of the sky, damaging his jetpack. Fett destroys the droid. Fett then shoots a tank of machine oil, setting Bantillian afire. The being jumps into a deep pool of water, only belatedly realizing that he cannot swim. He calls for his droids to help and all of them sink to the bottom. Fett goes back to an astonished Drex, who pays Fett reluctantly. Fett gives Drex Bantillian’s head, with a thermal detonator in the mouth. As Fett leaves he mutters, “Payback doesn’t pay.”
——————————————————————————–

“Being Boba Fett”   12 pages
Writer: Jason Hall
Artist: Stewart McKenny
Inker: John Wycough
Colorist: Dave Nestelle
Letterer: Steve Dutro

The Mandalorian bounty hunter Boba Fett wakes up in his home, and after looking in the mirror and seeing his father’s face, Boba sets out to look for his daily bounty. After passing up escaped Wookiee slaves and high-ranking Imperial defectors, he settles for a dead-or-alive bounty placed on a Devaronian named Bendu Fry. Fett goes into a cantina, where Fry is telling a joke to two women, and as Fry says the punch line, Fett approaches. Fry tries to run, but Fett easily catches the fat Devaronian. To save his life, Bendu tells Fett of a Twi’lek Jedi Knight who is living on the planet. Fett leaves to track the Jedi down, and seems to locate his target. It turns out, however, that the Twi’lek is not the Jedi after all, but the Jedi’s son. His father had in fact been killed at the Battle of Geonosis, and when the son grew up, he had a son of his own. Fett, remembering how his own father had perished in the Battle of Geonosis, allows the Jedi to live not wanting the boy to be left fatherless like he was. He returns to the cantina, disintegrates Bendu and collects his bounty.
——————————————————————————–

“Way of the Warrior”   10 pages
Writer: Peter Alilunas
Artist: Will Conrad
Letterer: Michael Heisler

On the planet Kuat, a year prior to the Battle of Geonosis, a lone cloaked figure wanders into a small colony. When the leader of the colonists, Larbo, emerges to see what is happening, the young Boba Fett hurls a thermal detonator and flees into one of the tents. As chaos ensues, Jango Fett arrives to slaughter the scattered prey. When approached by two gun men, a flick knife appears from his gauntlet and, presumably, slits their throats. He then hunts down the other colonists. Larbo finds Boba cowering in the corner of his tent and holds him at gunpoint to interrogate him. He is horrified to learn the young boy is the bounty hunter’s son. Jango, having finished assassinating the remaining members of the camp, tracks down Boba and demands that Larbo release his son and slashes his way through the tent’s canopy. A disgusted Larbo asks what kind of man would use his own son as bait, and Boba replies that “only a son can know his father’s heart.” Jango seizes Boba and throws a thermal detonator into the tent before escaping with the boy. Jango and Boba leave the planet in the Slave I, and the bounty hunter confirms to Count Dooku that his mission was accomplished. The ruling families can now commence with building factories for the Trade Federation and the Sith Lords’ other allies. On Boba’s first training mission, he learns an important lesson – that a warrior must suppress all emotion to succeed.
——————————————————————————–

“Revenants”   16 pages
Writer: W. Haden Blackman
Artist: Niko Henrichon
Colorist: Phiz
Letterer: Steve Dutro

Several months after Chewbacca’s death, Han Solo has been convinced by his wife and Lando Calrissian to stop moping and go on a reconnaissance mission on the other side of the galaxy from Vector Prime. Near Raxus Prime, Han’s shuttle encounters the Slave I and is shot down onto the junkyard moon. Keeping a log on his datapad for Leia, Han spends the next few weeks trekking across the moon, making makeshift weapons and survival gear to avoid Boba Fett, who is hunting him. Han finally comes to the realization that there is more than one Fett following him. When that happens, he comes face to face with the real Fett. Fett reveals to Han that the entire event has been a training exercise to cull the weak recruits from the new batch of Mandalorian Protectors prior to them taking up service for the Yuuzhan Vong-since, as mercenaries, the Mandalorians go for the highest bidder, and the Yuuzhan Vong are currently the richest ones in the galaxy. The Mandalorians then take off, leaving Han behind.
——————————————————————————–

Variant Comic is bagged & triple boarded and will be carefully / securely packaged then shipped via USPS Priority Mail to ensure that it arrives to you perfectly and quickly.

First Printing
Publisher: Dark Horse Comics
Publication Date: December 2003
Format: FC, 64 pages, Comic, 10.20″ x 6.65″
UPC: 761568001105

Collectible Entertainment note: Variant Comic is in Very Fine to Very Fine + condition.  Beautiful!  Please See Scans!!  A must have for any serious Star Wars and/or Boba Fett collector / enthusiast.  A fun & entertaining read.  Very Highly Recommended.

Please read return policy.